740.00112 European War 1939/10147
The American Legation in Sweden to the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs 21
Memorandum
Reference is made to the joint memorandum of December 1, 1943 wherein certain assurances relating to export of iron ore to Germany and associated countries and to countries occupied by Germany were requested of the Royal Swedish Government by the Governments of the United States and of the United Kingdom. The Government [Page 462] of the United States now renews the request made in the joint memorandum that during the first quarter of 1944 the Royal Swedish Government will not permit iron ore exports to Germany, associated countries and occupied territories in Europe in any one month to exceed 200,000 tons, nor to exceed a total of 488,000 tons for the first quarter of the year.
The Government of the United States further desires to invite the attention of the Royal Swedish Government to its undertaking under Section VII, Paragraph 2, of the Swedish Declaration and to request that this Section be applied in such a way that the exports during the first and second quarters of 1944 of no commodity or group of commodities limited under the agreement should be disproportionately large relative to exports during 1943 or relative to the ceilings for 1944. Reasonable allowances will, of course, be made for seasonal factors and the ordinary flow of trade.
In this connection the Royal Swedish Government will recall that the representatives of the Governments of the United States and of the United Kingdom during the negotiations in the summer of 1943 emphasized repeatedly the desirability that exports for the first and second quarters of 1944 be limited to amounts which would be reasonable in proportion to the annual ceilings.
- Copy transmitted to the Department in despatch 2724, January 24, from Stockholm; received February 10.↩